Thusitha Mabotuwana1, Vadiraj Hombal2, Sandeep Dalal2, Christopher S Hall3, Martin Gunn4. 1. Radiology Solutions, Philips Healthcare, Bothell, Washington; Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Electronic address: thusitha.mabotuwana@philips.com. 2. Clinical Informatics Solutions and Services, Philips Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 3. Radiology Solutions, Philips Healthcare, Bothell, Washington; Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. 4. Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Radiology reports often contain follow-up imaging recommendations. However, these recommendations are not always followed up by referring physicians and patients. Failure to comply in a timely manner can lead to delayed treatment, poor patient outcomes, unnecessary testing, lost revenue, and legal liability. Therefore, the primary objective of this research was to determine adherence rates to follow-up recommendations. METHODS: We extracted radiology examination-related data, including report text, for examinations performed between January 1, 2010, and February 28, 2017, from the radiology information system at an academic institution. The data set contained 2,972,164 examinations. The first 6 years were used as the period during which a follow-up recommendation was to be detected, allowing for a maximum of 14 months for a follow-up examination to be performed. RESULTS: At least one recommendation for follow-up imaging was present in 10.6% of radiology reports. Overall, the follow-up imaging adherence rate was 58.14%. Mammography had the highest follow-up adherence rate at 69.03%, followed by MRI at 67.54%. Of the modalities, nuclear medicine had the lowest adherence rate at 37.93%. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that follow-up imaging adherence rates are inherently low and vary by modality and that appropriate interventions may be needed to improve compliance to follow-up imaging recommendations.
PURPOSE: Radiology reports often contain follow-up imaging recommendations. However, these recommendations are not always followed up by referring physicians and patients. Failure to comply in a timely manner can lead to delayed treatment, poor patient outcomes, unnecessary testing, lost revenue, and legal liability. Therefore, the primary objective of this research was to determine adherence rates to follow-up recommendations. METHODS: We extracted radiology examination-related data, including report text, for examinations performed between January 1, 2010, and February 28, 2017, from the radiology information system at an academic institution. The data set contained 2,972,164 examinations. The first 6 years were used as the period during which a follow-up recommendation was to be detected, allowing for a maximum of 14 months for a follow-up examination to be performed. RESULTS: At least one recommendation for follow-up imaging was present in 10.6% of radiology reports. Overall, the follow-up imaging adherence rate was 58.14%. Mammography had the highest follow-up adherence rate at 69.03%, followed by MRI at 67.54%. Of the modalities, nuclear medicine had the lowest adherence rate at 37.93%. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that follow-up imaging adherence rates are inherently low and vary by modality and that appropriate interventions may be needed to improve compliance to follow-up imaging recommendations.
Authors: Sandeep Dalal; Vadiraj Hombal; Wei-Hung Weng; Gabe Mankovich; Thusitha Mabotuwana; Christopher S Hall; Joseph Fuller; Bruce E Lehnert; Martin L Gunn Journal: J Digit Imaging Date: 2020-02 Impact factor: 4.056
Authors: Arlene Casey; Emma Davidson; Michael Poon; Hang Dong; Daniel Duma; Andreas Grivas; Claire Grover; Víctor Suárez-Paniagua; Richard Tobin; William Whiteley; Honghan Wu; Beatrice Alex Journal: BMC Med Inform Decis Mak Date: 2021-06-03 Impact factor: 2.796
Authors: Tiantian White; Mark D Aronson; Scot B Sternberg; Umber Shafiq; Seth J Berkowitz; James Benneyan; Russell S Phillips; Gordon D Schiff Journal: JAMA Netw Open Date: 2022-07-01